Department of Defense Warrior Games Kicks Off This Week with Celebratory Event Hosted by Jon Stewart, Welcoming Nearly 200 Athletes and Their Families to Colorado Springs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fisher House Foundation, Under Armour Support as Platinum and Gold Sponsors; Free Event and Live-Streaming; ESPN+ to Provide Additional Event Coverage
Colorado Springs, Colo. – July 14, 2025 – The Department of Defense (DoD) Warrior Games celebrates the resilience, determination, and triumph of wounded, ill, and injured military personnel and veterans returning to Colorado Springs for the first time since 2018. The Games will primarily take place at the main venue Colorado College from July 18-26, bringing together competitors from all over the U.S. and representing all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces including: Army, Marine Corps, Navy/Coast Guard, Air Force/Space Force, and Special Operations Command.
Jon Stewart has been committed to this event since 2016 where he first made his appearance as the emcee for the Warrior Games opening ceremony at West Point, and later hosted ceremonies in Chicago (2017), U.S. Air Force Academy (2018), Tampa (2019), and Orlando (2022). Stewart now returns for the 2025 Warrior Games in Colorado. Although the kick-off is a closed event, all sporting events are free and open to the public.
Thank you to the 2025 DoD Warrior Games corporate sponsors including Fisher House Foundation (Platinum Sponsor), Under Armour (Gold Sponsor), Wounded Warrior Project (Bronze Sponsor), Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES), Deloitte, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Hyperformance Foundation (Supporting Sponsors) and the Gary Sinise Foundation (Entertainment Sponsor). No Department of Defense or Federal endorsement of sponsors is implied.
“At Fisher House Foundation, we believe family is critical throughout the entire healing journey which is why we’re proud to sponsor the DoD Warrior Games. Through the Family Program, families can celebrate how far they have come, together,” said Ken Fisher, chairman and CEO of Fisher House Foundation. “These Games honor the strength of our wounded warriors and the families who stand beside them every step of the way.”
The athletes will compete in 11 different adaptive sports including archery, cycling, field, indoor rowing, powerlifting, precision air sports, sitting volleyball, swimming, track, wheelchair basketball, and wheelchair rugby.
Many of the athletes who compete in the Warrior Games continue on to participate in the Invictus and Paralympic Games. And in some cases, Paralympians come back to coach including Rodney Williams who is the Wheelchair Basketball Coach for Team Army and competed in the 1976 Montreal Games (when it was called Olympiad of the Disabled) and in 1988 where his team won Gold in the now called Paralympic Games.
“I have a shirt that says: ‘I’m only in it for the parking’. Yeah it’s funny, but there’s a deeper truth here. I didn’t choose to have a disability, but I did choose how to respond to it,” Williams said. “Life hands us all something; you can fight it or you can lean in and work with it. The Warrior Games is an opportunity to inspire and grow, and I am proud to be a small part of the healing that the Games represent. Yeah, life isn’t fair, but competition, friendships renewed or new and a focus on the future are the best medicine. Best of luck to all competitors this week!”
Fans can watch the DoD Warrior Games live-streamed through the DoD Warrior Games website or on the ESPN+ network with the full schedule to be released on July 16.
About the Department of Defense Warrior Games
Founded in 2010 to enhance the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, ill and injured military service members and veterans through sports, the DoD Warrior Games are an annual adaptive sports competition representing all military services: The Army, Marine Corps, Navy/Coast Guard, Air Force/ Space Force, and U.S. Special Operations Command. The Games provide a platform for these athletes to showcase their athleticism, resilience, and camaraderie while inspiring others and promoting healing and recovery through adaptive sports.
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Katie Moses Swope
Warrior Games Media
310-339-4552
katie@moswopr.com
